I hope some of you were able to read the story I wrote back in October titled "Are You Ready for Some Football … History?" Well, temporarily overcome by a feeling of nostalgia, I decided right around that same time to drive up to Olathe North High School, formerly Olathe High School, to have another look at the Marshall Ensor Field sign I remembered from my high school days and, lo and behold, the sign wasn't there.
Concerned by what I had seen (or in this case hadn't seen), I contacted one of the administrators with the Olathe school system by mail, and when I didn't hear anything back from him in a timely manner, I sent the Board of Education a letter. That got an immediate response.
Long story short, according to a letter I received in early December from OHS Principal Jason Herman, during the seven-year period when he was the school's assistant principal and athletic director (2009-2016), the school system made the decision to replace the grass at the football field with artificial turf, which necessitated the removal of everything inside the track (and apparently everything beyond the track as well, as my recollection of the sign is that it had been located beyond the track at the far northwest corner of the property). Anyway, he related, when the workers tried to move the 40-year-old plus brick-enclosed sign in connection with the project, the whole thing fell apart.
A three-section metal sign was subsequently erected at the far northwest corner of the property, and the top section had the initials "ON" (for Olathe North) on it on the far left, along with the words "Marshall Ensor Field". But unfortunately, the top section was lost "to a large windstorm" about three years ago, according to Herman's letter, which explains why I never saw anything that said "Marshall Ensor Field" when I returned to my alma mater back in October to have a look around.
Herman went on to report in his letter that the current AD at ONHS was "working with a local company to update all the signage at the field, including a new Marshall Ensor Field sign." But more important, he proceeded to tell me this: "I can assure you that the story of Marshall Ensor and the importance this man had on Olathe High School and today on Olathe North High School is very important to our community."
So there, this being the month of the Super Bowl, I thought it only appropriate to provide you with an update on Marshall Ensor Field at this time.
Go Eagles! You, too, Chiefs. Maybe next year.
In the photograph accompanying this story, the sign that replaced the original Marshall Ensor Field sign is pictured, and at the very bottom of the photo, if you look closely, you can see what the upper part of the sign looked like after that windstorm passed through the area.